Page 30 of The King of Koraha
The captain was all too happy to escort them from the room. He led them up a few levels then abandoned them with a gruff, “You can find your own way back.”
Shyla had no idea which way to turn, but Rendor twined his fingers in hers and guided her through the city’s busy tunnels.
“Keeping an eye on us means we’re going to be followed, right?” she asked Rendor.
“Only when we let them.”
“And we can avoid that?”
“Sunbeam, I can ditch a tail with ease. And you’re the leader of the Invisible Sword.”
“Except there’s too many people around for me to use thegonecommand.”
“Then I’ll help you spot the important people.” He squeezed her hand and was quiet for a few angles. “The princess did give us quite a bit of information.”
Shyla reviewed their conversation. “The fact the squads left in batches?”
“Yes. If they were upset by not being paid, they’d have left all at once. Leaving in small groups means they didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention. Also why didn’t some of them apply to work as guards for the Water Princess? It doesn’t make sense for them to all leave Qulsary.”
“Unless they had another offer,” Shyla said. “Maybe another city’s prince or princess hired them.”
“That’s possible. Did you read the princess?”
“No.” She waited for his response.
“Your reluctance to invade another’s privacy is admirable.”
“I sense a but,” she said.
“In those situations, you might want to establish a light connection. Not a full invasion, a—what do you call it?”
“Picking up on their surface emotions?”
“Yes. Even with the King’s support, we’re outnumbered here in Qulsary. It would give us a slight advantage.”
“All right.”
Rendor glanced at her but remained quiet. Her reluctance was also due to what the King had said about turning into a megalomaniac despot. Had the power of The Eyes transformed Tamburah into a bloodthirsty tyrant? Or was it because the power was so easy to abuse? Just because she could do something didn’t mean it was right.
After another dozen angles, she still didn’t recognize anything. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Actually, the sound reached them first. It was a strange almost spitting noise followed by a wetrat-tat-tat. They entered a large cavern filled with people. The crowd gasped and oohed and aahed. Rendor muscled through them, pulling Shyla behind him. When he stopped, he stepped aside and Shyla sucked in a breath.
A series of round basins were spread out in front of her in what appeared to be a random pattern. Each was a different size, from half a meter to three meters wide. A single ribbon of water jumped from basin to basin. It arced high into the air and then disappeared, making thatrat-tat-tatnoise inside the stone bowl before springing back up and jumping into another. Then a second and third and fourth ribbon leaped between the circles. They appeared almost alive as they soared through the air, hopping as if by magic and narrowly missing the other streams, seeming to be playing a game of chase.
Fascinated, she watched the show, oohing and aahing with everyone else. These must be the legendary dancing waters of Qulsary. She lost track of time and was only dimly aware of Rendor now standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. His solid presence warmed her back.
The show ended. After a stunned moment, there was an explosion of applause before the crowd dispersed.
“Will there be another show?” Shyla asked Rendor.
“They do them at angle one-eighty and angle zero every sun jump.” He reclaimed her hand.
They went to the closest dining cavern, paid, and ate second meal before returning to their room. Out of habit, she scanned for intruders as Rendor pulled the key from his pocket.
She sensed a bump and touched his arm, stopping him from opening the door.
